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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28170696">Marie and the Four Realms</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmazingGraceless/pseuds/AmazingGraceless'>AmazingGraceless</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Backstory, Drosselmeyer and Marie are inventor buddies, F/M, a little bit of clara/Phillip too for that matter, rOBBED I TELL YOU, the best duo you’ve ever seen, this movie was a sequel to the short story I tell you, we were robbed of that final dance scene that’s in every adaptation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:34:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,981</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28170696</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmazingGraceless/pseuds/AmazingGraceless</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Marie Stahlbaum is a mystery. Appearing on the snowiest night of the year an orphan, Christian Elias Drosselmeyer tries to get out of her the truth of her past.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Droßelmeier | Drosselmeyer &amp; Marie | Clara, Marie Stahlbaum/Nußknacker | Nutcracker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun winked at the Drosselmeyer Estate as it crept toward the horizon, promising Christmas Day. Benjamin Stahlbaum stepped away from the younger of his two daughters, Clara, as she looked out into the crowd. He followed his daughter's eyeline into the crowd, to see them rest upon a young, dark-skinned soldier who was steadily making his way to the gazebo where the father and daughter were dancing.</p><p><em>Wait</em>.</p><p>Benjamin knew that uniform. As the young soldier continued his march, Benjamin even came to recognize him.</p><p><em>Hoffman</em>.</p><p>How had he gotten here? Drosselmeyer didn't open the clock portal, since the people of their world wouldn't take kindly to the Four Realms—</p><p>"Phillip!" Clara raced down the steps to meet Captain Hoffman. He lifted her hand to his lips.</p><p>"Hello, Clara," he said. "Not very much time has passed in your world, has it?"</p><p>"Only a few hours." She glanced over to Benjamin, and she hastily turned back to Hoffman. "Phillip, this is my father, Dr. Benjamin Stahlbaum! Father, this is—"</p><p>"Captain Phillip Hoffman of the Nutcracker Regiment," Benjamin finished as he clasped his hands in front awkwardly. He nodded. "We've met."</p><p>"You hadn't mentioned that the king lives still!" Captain Hoffman dropped to his knees. "King Benjamin, Your Majesty, I'm devastated to hear about Marie."</p><p>"Rise," Benjamin said, faintly aware of the looks the soldier was earning from the other party-goers. "It really isn't necessary, here."</p><p>"Oh, of course," Captain Hoffman said, glancing to Clara in a silent cry for help. "I am just honored to see you again, after all of these years."</p><p>"You knew my father, then?" Clara asked, looking from Captain Hoffman to her father, and then back again.</p><p>"He was the first Nutcracker!" Phillip said. "All of the rest of us look up to him! He served our queen so well, he became her consort!"</p><p>Clara's pale green eyes shifted inquisitively toward her father. A million questions were unspoken, and yet written all over her face.</p><p>Benjamin sighed heavily. "I see I have a lot of explaining to do. Captain Hoffman, would you please find Christian? He has his part of the story to tell."</p><p>"Yes, sir," Captain Hoffman said.</p><p>"And Clara, please find Louise and Fritz," Benjamin said. "They deserve to hear this, too. And I have a feeling you have your own story to share."</p><p>"Yes, Father," Clara sad.</p><p>Captain Hoffman and Clara both disappeared into the crowd of party-goers, leaving Benjamin alone for the moment. That was when he realized that the music in the egg was still playing. Benjamin scooped it up, not wanting his wife's last gift to be forgotten, only to realize that he'd sent Clara off.</p><p>He turned off the music, and stared at the egg a moment. It was one of Marie's favorite possessions, made by Drosselmeyer himself. Marie would modify it later, after his first dance with her all of those years ago.</p><p>He remembered the dance, in the Land of the Flowers. He remembered the orchard, where they danced for the first time to the very melody.</p><p>Benjamin realized, with a start, that he'd forgotten it during the months after Marie's death. How could he have? In his long life, there were so many others he'd wanted to forget more.</p><p>It took all of Benjamin's strength not to cry. Marie had been the one tying him to this world. Now he was to remain in it with his children. This was their world, and he wasn't going to ask them to leave for the Four Realms for his sake, and he wouldn't make them orphans.</p><p>He remembered the teary whispers in the night as Marie got sicker and sicker, how she was afraid of leaving them like her parents left her.</p><p>He assured her that he would keep going on. Somehow, he would.</p><p>As he spotted Captain Hoffman and Clara returning with the people they needed, he remembered when he first met Marie, all of those years ago.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Nutcracker</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Exactly a year had passed since Marie Stahlbaum came to live with Judge Drosselmeyer and his family. Vibrant, with those green eyes shining as brightly as the candles on the tree, she spun about the room, adjusting the decorations and marveling in them.</p><p>Christian Elias, his eldest son, followed her, hands stuffed in his pockets. For the party, he wore the only nice clothes that he hadn't ruined with grease from his dissection of clocks and other machinery.</p><p>"Oh, I love Christmas," Marie said, clasping her hands together. She whirled around, sending the skirt of her scarlet gown flying. "Don't you?"</p><p>"I like the parties well enough," Christian said with a shrug. "I didn't realize you'd like it so much."</p><p>"Well, Mother and Father liked it," she said. "They made devices every year— these wonderful clockwork contraptions, like little villages of real moving little people, that worked on their own! Everyone thought they were rather clever!"</p><p>"Everyone?" Christian gently prompted. "How many people worked at your household?"</p><p>The light in Marie's eyes died, and she stiffened. "I don't know."</p><p>Christian wasn't so sure she was telling the truth. He shifted to his right, hating that he had screwed up once again. Over the past year, despite Judge and Madam Drosselmeyer's warnings against it, he had tried to pry the details of Marie's past out of her. But she refused to give even the slightest hint.</p><p>He remembered his first impression of her. It snowed the worst Christian could remember when she arrived, so she was shivering, wet, and covered in furs when Judge Drosselmeyer returned early from a trip to mysterious family friends. She spoke with a posh accent and stood like an aristocrat, but there was something strange about her all the same. She was certainly no Stuart, but she was definitely from nobler stock than the Drosselmeyers— that was certain.</p><p>The Stahlbaums were also supposed to be family friends, but Christian had never met them.</p><p>"Such subjects aren't meant for younger ears," Madam Drosselmeyer said, one of her prim shudders following.</p><p>Christian couldn't help his curiosity. Marie Stahlbaum was an alluring mystery set loose and alive in front of him. And he was determined to discover her secrets someday.</p><p>"Marie, Christian!"</p><p>Judge Drosselmeyer's voice carried through a room, full of power and timbre that Christian could only hope to aspire to. Judge Drosselmeyer's very voice commanded power. He towered over all, with an intimidating and fierce expression, and mysterious scars striping all over his body, hinting at adventures that he deflected and dismissed with charismatic ease.</p><p>Matched with petite, prim, and proper Madam Drosselmeyer, the judge and his wife made quite the pair, in Christian's opinion.</p><p>All the same, he and Marie made their ways to the couple, and Christian was relived to see that he was not, in fact, in trouble.</p><p>In Madam Drosselmeyer's hands were two different gifts.</p><p>"It's a tradition in our family to give one special gift the night before Christmas," Madam Drosselmeyer explained. She handed the gift wrapped in green and gold to Christian. "Merry Christmas, my darling boy."</p><p>"Thank you, <em>Maman</em>," Christian said, accepting the gift.</p><p>"Well, go on, open it," Marie said. "No need to wait for me."</p><p>Christian smiled shyly as he opened his gift, and in it was a mechanical owl.</p><p>"I know that owl." Marie's voice was as dark as the night sky. "It was my parents' last commission."</p><p>Christian picked it up, and wound up the back. The owl's deep emerald eyes sparked to life, and it began to flap its wings and fly through the room.</p><p>"Thank you," Christian said, after the owl perched upon his shoulder. "He's a marvel."</p><p>Madam Drosselmeyer smiled, and turned to Clara. "This is from your parents."</p><p>Marie snatched it from Drosselmeyer's hands, without a second word. She ripped the paper, and pulled out a nutcracker.</p><p>"The wind-up key is missing," Christian observed.</p><p>Marie tugged on the golden chain of the necklace she kept mysteriously beneath the bodice of her dress. Then she looked self-consciously to Christian. "I know where it is."</p><p>She then looked back to Madam Drosselmeyer and the Judge. "Thank you."</p><p>Marie then walked off, before Christian could say another word.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Battle of the Army of Toys</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christian woke on the sofa in the main parlor as the grandfather clock tolled twelve times. Only the dying embers of a fire and the moonlight lit the Drosselmeyer Manor now. He sat up—he had not realized he’d fallen asleep during the party. Looking to his left, he saw that his mother must have placed her shawl over him as a sort of blanket. To his right, he saw the clockwork owl perched on the side table, tilting its head to the side.</p><p>“You’re very complex, aren’t you?” Christian murmured, letting it hop onto his arm. “You act as if you’re alive.”</p><p>The owl let out an angry hoot and flew out of the parlor and up the main stairway.</p><p><em>I should go to bed,</em> Christian thought, standing up. For all that the Judge and his wife could be strict, they certainly knew how to be gracious hosts.</p><p>He found the owl sitting in front of his door. He was about to properly turn in when he heard strange sounds Fromm the room next door—Marie’s room. It sounded like a battle was going on in there, with the sounds of tiny swords and gunfire.</p><p>Quickly, he pushed open the door to watch and find that he was correct as to the source of the sound. A battle indeed was occurring in Marie’s bedroom—but not like any he had ever seen before.</p><p>Toy soldiers and dolls were alive and walking, fighting mice larger than Christian had seen before. These mice had glowing beady red eyes, and their very shadows gathered around them, a symbol of their own malevolence. Marie was shouting orders and using a wand that Christian had never seen before to fight alongside her nutcracker against a large seven-headed mouse with a crown on each of its seven heads.</p><p>Despite being much larger than the mouse, it was clear that Marie and two of the heads were locked in a battle of magic and losing while her nutcracker, somehow as alive as the rest of the toys, was just barely maintaining his own against the other five heads.</p><p>Christian cried out in horror, distracting all seven heads of the Mouse King. That was just long enough for the Nutcracker to stab the Mouse King. The mechanical owl swooped over Christian’s shoulder, cawing out, nearly snatching the Mouse King up—but falling just inches short. It circled back around. But the mice knew to retreat.</p><p>“I’ll be back for you, girl, back for you and your Nutcracker,” the Mouse King sneered as he retreated through a mouse hole. The last of the mice scampered into the hole, which vanished in a glimmer of light. All that was left was the toys, Marie, Christian, and the Nutcracker.</p><p>“My lady.” The Nutcracker dropped to his knee on the bookshelf, at Marie’s eye level. “I apologize, that I was unable to destroy the fiend and retake our kingdom!”</p><p>“That is quite alright, Prince Benjamin—you have done your best.” Marie turned and blinked, as if she had juste realized that Christian was there.</p><p>Christian entered the room and shut the door behind him. The toys were cleaning up and then entering Marie’s wardrobe. He watched for a few moments, taken aback, before returning his eyes to Marie, the strange orphan girl his family had taken in.</p><p>“What is going on?” Christian finally managed to ask.</p><p>“I suppose you have a lot of questions.” Marie took her dressing gown off of the hook on the side of the wardrobe and wrapped it around herself. She looked just as small and vulnerable as she had the day she had come home with the Judge and Madam Drosselmeyer. She perched on her bed. “It’s a long story, I’m afraid. It is the story of how I came here, and what truly happened to my home and my parents. It is not a happy story—not yet, anyway. Are you sure you want to hear it, Christian?”</p><p>Christian stepped forward. “Of course I do, Marie. You are my friend and my foster-sister.”</p><p>“I see.” Marie smoothed the white linen skirts of her nightgown. “It is not all my story to tell, I am afraid.”</p><p>She looked to the Nutcracker, who had quickly made his way to Marie’s bedside table in the time of the quick conversation between Christian and Marie.</p><p>“It isn’t just ours, either,” Benjamin added. “But those who started the story, their parts began long before either of us were born. . .”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Marie’s Secret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There are kingdoms not from this world, but from other worlds entirely. How one might get to a kingdom like Parenthia might be through doorways made by powerful sorcerers, like the Stahlbaums. Or it might be through finding the cracks between the worlds, if you are resourceful and imaginative enough.</p><p>It is in the realm of Parthenia that this story starts—a world with a king, a queen, and Royal Sorcerers who could jump from world to world as easily as one might jump from their own bed. The details long escaped the teller of these tales, but these were the facts: once there had been an alliance with the Queen of the Mice, a Lady Mouserinks, she had once been called.</p><p>No one quite remembered what it was that caused the war between the Royal Family of Parthenia and the Mice—or perhaps they were ashamed of the reason. Whatever it was, mice traps were set and war was declared. In retribution, Lady Mouserinks cursed the newborn baby Princess Pirlipat with ugliness, as she knew the darkest arts of magic, and she gave birth to a new child, stronger than ten men with seven heads, each more cunning than the last—the Mouse King.</p><p>The King and Queen strived to break their daughter’s curse, calling upon the Stahlbaums, their court sorcerers, to do so. They searched the worlds for a prince who could break the spell—finally drawing upon the world created by the Stahlbaums for their darling daughter, Marie: the Four Realms.</p><p>In the Four Realms, there were various peoples—including humans themselves. The prince of these realms was discovered through Pirlipat’s horoscope and frankly boring astrological calculations to be the very prince who could break the curse.</p><p>No one knows what exactly went wrong. As far as Benjamin recalled, he kissed the princess, as was traditional, and she turned beautiful again.</p><p>Perhaps it was her ungratefulness afterwards. Perhaps all that was truly done was a transference of the curse. Maybe Lady Mouserinks, in her dying breath, concocted a new curse.</p><p>It does not matter, what was done then. What matters is that the curse changed—Prince Benjamin transformed into the Nutcracker and Parthenia was destroyed. The Stahlbaum Sorcerers were able to save Benjamin—but they lost their lives and their estate was destroyed. All that remained was the nutcracker, the owl, their daughter, and the key to all of their creations. . .</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“I can see now why I was never told much about your parents,” Christian said sadly. “So the Mouse King is coming from Parthenia,then?”</p><p>“Yes, and the realm has suffered greatly under his leadership,” Prince Benjamin explained. “The Stahlbaums’ last spells, however, have transformed the people into toys, and over the past year I have led them into the Four Realms.”</p><p>“I had also been creating my own citizens, bringing them to life.” Marie gestured towards a doll with pink hair and a shimmering dress with little fairy wings. “I have dedicated myself to learning the magic my parents wielded and becoming an inventor in my own right.”</p><p>“I would like to learn how,” Christian said eagerly.</p><p>“And I would like to teach you.” Marie smiled. “I suspect we can learn much about invention from each other. But we must first deal with the Mouse King. We cannot keep fighting him, and he cannot follow the people of Parthenia into the Four Realms.”</p><p>“What must we do, then?” Christian asked. “I want to help.”</p><p>“We must seal away Parthenia forever,” Prince Benjamin declared. “I believe Queen Marie would know how, but I need help keeping the Mouse King at bay in order for her to do so.”</p><p>“I think I have a few ideas on how I can help.” Christian stroked his chin and looked at the clockwork owl. “I imagine your parents must have entrusted me with her for a reason.”</p><p>“I suspect so as well,” Marie agreed. “I am sorry I haven’t been as friendly or open about my history, Christian. You have been working to be such a good friend to me and I haven’t deserved it.”</p><p>“It is alright,” Christian assured her. “I had no idea how terrible the story truly was. I am sorry for pressing into such grave matters.”</p><p>“I’ve been spending time in the Four Realms, really, when I’ve been locking myself away in this room.” Marie stood up, and pulled her key necklace out from where it had slipped under her nightdress and unlocked her wardrobe. Christian peeked in, seeing snow and an enchanted wood.</p><p>Marie then closed the doors. “I will take you, once we have defeated the Mouse King.”</p><p>“We’d better get started on a plan, then,” Christian said. “When will he return?”</p><p>“Tomorrow, at midnight,” Benjamin said grimly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Christian’s Plan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christmas Day passed splendidly, as Christian and Marie conspired on how to defeat the Mouse King. The Judge and his wife, naturally, were oblivious to the more grave nature of the children and instead attended to the next round of guests on their second party that afternoon while whispering about how pleased they were that Marie had come out of her room and her shell for the holidays.</p><p>Usually Christian enjoyed parties such as these—but he had no time for games or glamour or fun as he usually did. There were entire realms of people counting on him and Marie when the clock struck twelve that night.</p><p>His head was still spinning at the revelations of the night before. It all seemed unreal, like a fever dream. But he knew as soon as Marie had told him that he had to do what was right and help. His father, after all, had instilled in him a strict sense of morality.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>It started exactly at midnight, when the clock rang out for the twelfth time. The mouse hole appeared, but no foot-soldiers, pawns, or any other such positions came out. Rather, it was just the seven-headed Mouse King, with a sword in one hand and a scepter in the other. His own shadow cloaked around him, instead of following him on the ground as shadows usually do.</p><p>His red eyes gleamed malevolently as he stared down the Nutcracker with his silver sword.</p><p>“You stand alone, Nutcracker—has your kingdom finally abandoned you, as Princess Pirlipat did?”</p><p>“I have not been abandoned.” Benjamin lifted his sword. “But I will not risk the lives of my subjects on a matter that is personal—I have convinced the Queen that this is between us, and no one else.”</p><p>“On that matter, you are wrong,” the Mouse King snarled. “I will not stop until all the Stahlbaums and their creations are dead! For they had advised the King and Queen of Parthenia to turn against my mother and siblings—I will avenge them, as I will eradicate all who involved themselves in my vengeance! Mice! Come to my aid!”</p><p>But nothing happened.</p><p>The Mouse King turned one of his seven heads to see that the mouse hole and the portal had vanished entirely. He raised his scepter, presumably to summon the portal. But it did not come. He tried again—nothing.</p><p>“I’m afraid that Parthenia no longer can be accessed, at least, not through any portal,” Marie said as she stepped from her hiding place behind her cabinet of dolls. She held open a small ornate book that gleamed strangely in the light. “Perhaps there are still cracks between that world and others—but I suspect there isn’t.”</p><p>The Mouse King’s seven heads returned their attention to Marie, their red eyes narrowing as he snarled:</p><p>“So the last of the Stahlbaums has managed to interfere one last time. Fine—I will find these cracks between words when I am finished with you and your Four Realms! I will conquer all the worlds in the name of Mouserinks!”</p><p>“You will not do so! In the name of the Queen!” Benjamin swung at the Mouse King, engaging him in a duel.</p><p>Christian glanced at the owl, nodding at it.</p><p>Prince Benjamin was brave and stalwart, even as he was forced back with every attack, the sword nicking at the wood and one fall snapping his nutcracker arm. Still, he fought, and that was enough time for Marie and Christian to enact their plan.</p><p>Marie took off her heeled fashionable shoe, courtesy of Madam Drosselmeyer. The shoe hit the Mouse King in four of his seven heads, knocking him to the floor and causing him to drop his sword and scepter. His seven golden crowns fell across the polished oak floor with a clatter.</p><p>Without wasting a second, Christian set the owl free. It soared and snatched up the Mouse King. Before Christian could give another order however, to everyone’s revulsion, the mechanical owl swallowed the Mouse King, who let out a terrible scream. Marie covered her ears, and Christian rushed over to cover her eyes before shutting his own.</p><p>They only opened their eyes to a flash of light, to see the nutcracker, nicked and damaged, transform into a tall man in a Nutcracker’s regiment uniform with a golden sword. He bowed and dropped to one knee.</p><p>“My lady, I hope I served you well.”</p><p>“You have, Prince Benjamin.” Marie smiled and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. “I could not have asked for a more stalwart protector, of me and my realms.”</p><p>Prince Benjamin turned pink, smiling all the same. “I have done my duty, Your Majesty. I am humbled by your gratitude and wisdom.”</p><p>Marie smiled and turned to Christian. “And I thank you. Without you and the owl, I do not think we could have won this victory.”</p><p>Christian smiled.</p><p>“And thank you for being my friend, after my parents died,” Marie said in a smaller, graver voice. “I cannot give you enough of my gratitude.”</p><p>“Perhaps a start would be showing me these four realms,” Christian teased.</p><p>“Oh, you’ll love it, they’re wonderful,” Marie gushed. “Come, Prince Benjamin—I think it is high time that we show Christian our home.”</p><p>“Our?” Prince Benjamin turned redder.</p><p>“Of course it is ours, silly.” Marie kissed him on the cheek again, and then took both youth’s hands. “Come along— I suspect my regents would like to know of our victory!”</p><p>The three of them stepped through the wardrobe into the Land of the Snow, beginning a new adventure entirely.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>There were of course, many more adventures and tales after that one. They all blended together into an era of halcyon memories for Benjamin as he now stood in front of his three children, Drosselmeyer, and Captain Phillip Hoffman to recount their shared tale.</p><p>How Benjamin wished that Marie could have seen this. She had always been so hesitant to connect her worlds after what had happened to their parents and how they had jeopardized her and so many others. He had done as his wife and queen had wished—but he now realized, as he was now sure that Marie herself had, that the realms were meant to be shared.</p><p>As Christmas Eve turned to Christmas morning, he began his tale—ending exactly where we had started. But with the promise of more adventures to come.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>After seeing the movie the first time, my thoughts were that Marie was obviously the Marie of the original novella. Of course, some things are different this time, like the age of Drosselmeyer and what exactly is happening with the Four Realms. But we’ll get there, I promise.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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